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Detective Mollel #1
Hour of the Red God
The Maasai believe in two gods. Enkai Narok, the Black God, is benign. Enkai Nanyokie, the Red God, is the god of anger, vengeance, and death.
Nairobi, 2007. In Africa's sprawling megacity, a small elite holds power over an impoverished, restless majority. Corruption, exploitation, and ethnic rivalry are part of everyday life. Amid claims of vote rigging and fraud, the presidential elections could be the spark that sets this city ablaze.
With chaos looming, few care about one dead prostitute. But Detective Mollel does. For Mollel is a former Maasai warrior, and the dead girl was a Maasai, too.
As he ventures from slums to skyscrapers, from suburbs to sewers, Mollel begins to realize that there is more at stake than just this murder. But even as he is forced to confront his turbulent past, he begins to doubt his warrior's instincts.
Can Mollel manage to find the killer and solve the case before the Red God consumes all?
With the sophistication of Ian Rankin and Colin Harrison, and set against the backdrop of Kenya's turbulent 2007 elections, Richard Crompton's Hour of the Red God brings Nairobi vividly to life: gritty and modern, with an extraordinary blend of tribal and urban elements. In this dark thriller, tradition and power collide, arriving at a shocking, unforgettable end. And in the Maasai hero Mollel, a new detective icon is born.
One of Publishers Weekly's Best Mystery/Thriller Books of 2013
Nairobi, 2007. In Africa's sprawling megacity, a small elite holds power over an impoverished, restless majority. Corruption, exploitation, and ethnic rivalry are part of everyday life. Amid claims of vote rigging and fraud, the presidential elections could be the spark that sets this city ablaze.
With chaos looming, few care about one dead prostitute. But Detective Mollel does. For Mollel is a former Maasai warrior, and the dead girl was a Maasai, too.
As he ventures from slums to skyscrapers, from suburbs to sewers, Mollel begins to realize that there is more at stake than just this murder. But even as he is forced to confront his turbulent past, he begins to doubt his warrior's instincts.
Can Mollel manage to find the killer and solve the case before the Red God consumes all?
With the sophistication of Ian Rankin and Colin Harrison, and set against the backdrop of Kenya's turbulent 2007 elections, Richard Crompton's Hour of the Red God brings Nairobi vividly to life: gritty and modern, with an extraordinary blend of tribal and urban elements. In this dark thriller, tradition and power collide, arriving at a shocking, unforgettable end. And in the Maasai hero Mollel, a new detective icon is born.
One of Publishers Weekly's Best Mystery/Thriller Books of 2013
290 pages, Hardcover
First published February 14, 2013
36 people are currently reading
757 people want to read
About the author
Richard Crompton
21 books21 followersRichard Crompton lives in Nairobi, Kenya, with his wife and their three young children. A former BBC journalist, Crompton left London several years ago when his wife, a human rights lawyer, was offered a job in Rwanda helping to prosecute the perpetrators of genocide.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 150 reviews
August 7, 2023
A Police procedural set during political unrest in Kenya, but what makes this one really quite unique is that this detective (Mollel) is a former Masai warrior!
Interesting enough storyline, but it was missing something for me. Mollel is a likeable protagonist, he’s Dad to Adam, though to be honest, his parenting skills leave much to be desired, (Mollel’s wife having been killed in the American Embassy bombing some years earlier).
You’re sure to like the protagonist, and he’s a pretty good cop, and in this debut novel, he puts family and career on the line, investigating the murder of a prostitute, relying on his warrior's instincts to help crack the case. A promising start to what is to be a series featuring Mollel, might just see how it goes.
Interesting enough storyline, but it was missing something for me. Mollel is a likeable protagonist, he’s Dad to Adam, though to be honest, his parenting skills leave much to be desired, (Mollel’s wife having been killed in the American Embassy bombing some years earlier).
You’re sure to like the protagonist, and he’s a pretty good cop, and in this debut novel, he puts family and career on the line, investigating the murder of a prostitute, relying on his warrior's instincts to help crack the case. A promising start to what is to be a series featuring Mollel, might just see how it goes.
May 25, 2013
Nairobi, Kenya in 2007 is a city torn. Endemic corruption, ethnic violence, and tribal jealousy are just another fact of life. It’s a place of huge contrasts from wealthy enclaves to slums, rich ministers and power brokers to prostitutes and beggars. It is so vastly different from America; it's like stepping off a cliff into a new world. In Richard Crompton's capable hands and descriptive prose, Nairobi comes alive becoming more than a mere setting for the story, but a richly textured part of the action, and what could be a simple murder case becomes an enduring image of a modern, yet still very dangerous Africa.
Lucy was a Maasai prostitute. Her dead body is found in a park in the center of Nairobi. She has been viciously attacked near a drainage ditch. Detective Mollel, a hero cop, who had been exiled to traffic duty, for speaking out about corruption in the police ranks, is assigned the case because who cares what happens to a prostitute. The police chief also needs all the cops for the election.
Mollel, however, cares. Mollel is a multilayer character, who is taking unknown drugs, cannot eat and is forceful and unafraid of authority. Once a proud Maasai warrior, he has left his tribe to move to the modern city, but still worships and fears the gods of his youth, none more than the Red God, the spirit of violence. He is now raising his young son alone, but for the help of his mother in law, who does not trust his efforts. A widower, Mollel lost his wife in an explosion at her job. Valiantly trying to save her, he pulled survivor after survivor from the rubble. It shows his single minded dedication, as does his leaving his young son by himself in the dangerous city as he pursues a young thief in the market.
Lucy, a member of his tribe, who apparently was leaving the prostitute life did not deserve her fate and Mollel feels it’s his obligation to bring the perpetrators to justice. It’s a search that will be aided by a blind beggar and by his partner Kiunga, a sweet talking cop of a different cop mentality. Mollel is fearless almost seemingly unafraid to die. Losing his wife has hit him hard. Kiunga is more like the typical Nairobi cop more willing to work in the system, but he too has faced pain, and he learns that Mollel will cut every corner, and will use every avenue to find the killer.
Together they follow the clues, from the drainage ditch literally up the sewer to a hidden house in the middle of a park that is owned by a power broker, but rented out to a powerful preacher and his wife. Mollel is not afraid to get his hands dirty searching illegally for evidence and finding something unexpected in the small house. Then there is another prostitute, Honey, Lucy’s friend who tells them that Lucy was pregnant. She also wants to find Lucy’s killer. Seeing in her a kindred spirit to his dead wife, but lacking the modern tools of DNA, fingerprints or even a sophisticated computer, Mollel is not willing to give up the case even under orders to abandon it. He and Kiunga must navigate the difficult shoals of the rich and the powerful to find clues to who killed Lucy and why.
It is a journey that will take them from a house of god and its two faced minister through the actions of a power broker and evidence of vote rigging to a powerful elite white man and finally to a remote house where a diabolical killer is surrounded by an angry mob of jealous tribesmen.
This is a simple detective story, but told in nuanced textured way, populated by richly drawn characters amidst a chaotic political scene.
We care about Mollel, Lucy, Honey and want to know who killed Lucy and why. Mollel who comes to life as does the vividly powerful portrait of the dangerous city of Nairobi.
Its a winner.
Lucy was a Maasai prostitute. Her dead body is found in a park in the center of Nairobi. She has been viciously attacked near a drainage ditch. Detective Mollel, a hero cop, who had been exiled to traffic duty, for speaking out about corruption in the police ranks, is assigned the case because who cares what happens to a prostitute. The police chief also needs all the cops for the election.
Mollel, however, cares. Mollel is a multilayer character, who is taking unknown drugs, cannot eat and is forceful and unafraid of authority. Once a proud Maasai warrior, he has left his tribe to move to the modern city, but still worships and fears the gods of his youth, none more than the Red God, the spirit of violence. He is now raising his young son alone, but for the help of his mother in law, who does not trust his efforts. A widower, Mollel lost his wife in an explosion at her job. Valiantly trying to save her, he pulled survivor after survivor from the rubble. It shows his single minded dedication, as does his leaving his young son by himself in the dangerous city as he pursues a young thief in the market.
Lucy, a member of his tribe, who apparently was leaving the prostitute life did not deserve her fate and Mollel feels it’s his obligation to bring the perpetrators to justice. It’s a search that will be aided by a blind beggar and by his partner Kiunga, a sweet talking cop of a different cop mentality. Mollel is fearless almost seemingly unafraid to die. Losing his wife has hit him hard. Kiunga is more like the typical Nairobi cop more willing to work in the system, but he too has faced pain, and he learns that Mollel will cut every corner, and will use every avenue to find the killer.
Together they follow the clues, from the drainage ditch literally up the sewer to a hidden house in the middle of a park that is owned by a power broker, but rented out to a powerful preacher and his wife. Mollel is not afraid to get his hands dirty searching illegally for evidence and finding something unexpected in the small house. Then there is another prostitute, Honey, Lucy’s friend who tells them that Lucy was pregnant. She also wants to find Lucy’s killer. Seeing in her a kindred spirit to his dead wife, but lacking the modern tools of DNA, fingerprints or even a sophisticated computer, Mollel is not willing to give up the case even under orders to abandon it. He and Kiunga must navigate the difficult shoals of the rich and the powerful to find clues to who killed Lucy and why.
It is a journey that will take them from a house of god and its two faced minister through the actions of a power broker and evidence of vote rigging to a powerful elite white man and finally to a remote house where a diabolical killer is surrounded by an angry mob of jealous tribesmen.
This is a simple detective story, but told in nuanced textured way, populated by richly drawn characters amidst a chaotic political scene.
We care about Mollel, Lucy, Honey and want to know who killed Lucy and why. Mollel who comes to life as does the vividly powerful portrait of the dangerous city of Nairobi.
Its a winner.
December 31, 2017
A thrilling crime novel, based in Kenya in 2007. A prostitute is found dead and mutilated, but the majority of the police force are uninterested in investigating. Our hero Mollel is the exception- he has a strong sense of justice, and will go to any lengths to catch a criminal (even abandoning his 9 year old son in the street in pursuit of thief in the novel's opening chapter). Mollel is a slightly unconventional hero- he grew up to be a warrior in the Maasai tribe, before deserting to become a police officer. He is a widower, and slightly negligent father, but is ultra focused on solving the case.
The murder case has come at a really bad time- Kenya is in the grips of political turmoil. An election is causing tempers to flare on both sides, and it's clear that violence will soon erupt. The combination of political drama and the murder case makes for an exciting novel. The pacing is excellent, the characters are likeable, and I felt I learnt a lot about life in Nairobi during this period.
It was a great novel finish up 2017!
The murder case has come at a really bad time- Kenya is in the grips of political turmoil. An election is causing tempers to flare on both sides, and it's clear that violence will soon erupt. The combination of political drama and the murder case makes for an exciting novel. The pacing is excellent, the characters are likeable, and I felt I learnt a lot about life in Nairobi during this period.
It was a great novel finish up 2017!
August 15, 2013
The Honey Guide by Richard Crompton takes place in Nairobi, Kenya in late December 2007 during the corrupt election for a new president. I was especially interested in this book as I was in Nairobi at the exact time that the novel takes place. I was not able to leave my hotel because of the gun fire in the streets and the general chaos but I knew what was going on. Interestingly, so many Kenyans came up to me and asked me if I thought that Obama had a chance of winning. They were so invested in having him as president of the United States.
The novel is about a Maasai police detective named Mollel. He was once a homicide detective but was moved to traffic after a nervous breakdown that he had after his wife's death. He is definitely a man with a past. Because he was a whistle blower in the police department and a minority (most of the police force is Kikuyu), the chief is wary about dismissing him, knowing that the department would get bad press. Additionally, during the bombing of the British Embassy several years before, Mollel was a hero. His wife was inside the building and he took out body after body from the rubble looking for her. She was never found.
Recently, the body of a Maasai prostitute named Lucy is found in a storm drain in Uhuru Park. She is badly mutilated in her genital area and the chief asks Mollel to investigate her death. He is assisted by a young Kikuyu officer named Kiunga. Together, they search for the killer during a time when tribal tensions are high because of the election. There is rage in the streets and Nairobi is an unsafe place to be. Mollel is called 'Maasai' by his colleagues and no one uses his first name. The investigation takes them to the highest rungs of power in the city and also to Orpheus church, the largest church in Nairobi, one that can hold six thousand people at one time. The pastor of Orpheus Church, George Nalo, and his wife Wanjiku control a huge congregation. The church, however, is not what it seems on the outside and Mollel is suspicious of its goings on from the beginning. They are also assisted in the investigation by a young Maasai prostitute named Honey.
The book shows the tensions between the different tribes in Nairobi along with the problems that Kenyans have with Wazungus (white people). The streets of Nairobi come alive as the investigation progresses and we learn about its gangs, poverty, kerb-crawling (searching for prostitutes) and the culture of the Maasai people. Many of the Maasai in Nairobi escaped from their villages for various reasons. The women mostly left because of arranged marriages and forced genital mutilation. Many of them ended up on the streets of Nairobi as prostitutes. The men left for better lives than living as goat herders and animal hunters. Mollel was once a Maasai warrior in his village. Honey had this to say about her past: "My name is Honey. Not my Maasai name, of course. That's En'cecoroi e-intoi Kipuri. It was Lucy who christened me Honey. She told me that if you washed your forehead when you took your new name, you washed away your past. That's what we were both trying to do. That's how we ended up in Nairobi."
As the investigation progresses, there are many twists and turns. My interest was held the whole time and I couldn't wait to pick up my book. Mollel, Kiunga, and Honey all came alive for me. The characterization is fascinating. Mollel takes a lot of medication and we learn at the end of the book what it is for. He is also dealing with his mother-in-law as he tries to raise his ten year-old son, Adam, as a single parent. She is possessive and domineering and wants to take Adam away from Mollel.
This is the best sort of mystery and the first in what I hope will be a series. I will watch for Richard Crompton's work and do hope he writes more.
The novel is about a Maasai police detective named Mollel. He was once a homicide detective but was moved to traffic after a nervous breakdown that he had after his wife's death. He is definitely a man with a past. Because he was a whistle blower in the police department and a minority (most of the police force is Kikuyu), the chief is wary about dismissing him, knowing that the department would get bad press. Additionally, during the bombing of the British Embassy several years before, Mollel was a hero. His wife was inside the building and he took out body after body from the rubble looking for her. She was never found.
Recently, the body of a Maasai prostitute named Lucy is found in a storm drain in Uhuru Park. She is badly mutilated in her genital area and the chief asks Mollel to investigate her death. He is assisted by a young Kikuyu officer named Kiunga. Together, they search for the killer during a time when tribal tensions are high because of the election. There is rage in the streets and Nairobi is an unsafe place to be. Mollel is called 'Maasai' by his colleagues and no one uses his first name. The investigation takes them to the highest rungs of power in the city and also to Orpheus church, the largest church in Nairobi, one that can hold six thousand people at one time. The pastor of Orpheus Church, George Nalo, and his wife Wanjiku control a huge congregation. The church, however, is not what it seems on the outside and Mollel is suspicious of its goings on from the beginning. They are also assisted in the investigation by a young Maasai prostitute named Honey.
The book shows the tensions between the different tribes in Nairobi along with the problems that Kenyans have with Wazungus (white people). The streets of Nairobi come alive as the investigation progresses and we learn about its gangs, poverty, kerb-crawling (searching for prostitutes) and the culture of the Maasai people. Many of the Maasai in Nairobi escaped from their villages for various reasons. The women mostly left because of arranged marriages and forced genital mutilation. Many of them ended up on the streets of Nairobi as prostitutes. The men left for better lives than living as goat herders and animal hunters. Mollel was once a Maasai warrior in his village. Honey had this to say about her past: "My name is Honey. Not my Maasai name, of course. That's En'cecoroi e-intoi Kipuri. It was Lucy who christened me Honey. She told me that if you washed your forehead when you took your new name, you washed away your past. That's what we were both trying to do. That's how we ended up in Nairobi."
As the investigation progresses, there are many twists and turns. My interest was held the whole time and I couldn't wait to pick up my book. Mollel, Kiunga, and Honey all came alive for me. The characterization is fascinating. Mollel takes a lot of medication and we learn at the end of the book what it is for. He is also dealing with his mother-in-law as he tries to raise his ten year-old son, Adam, as a single parent. She is possessive and domineering and wants to take Adam away from Mollel.
This is the best sort of mystery and the first in what I hope will be a series. I will watch for Richard Crompton's work and do hope he writes more.
July 29, 2013
This is the beginning to, what I hope, will become a series, featuring detective Mollel, a former Maasai warrior. It is 2007 and the run up to elections in Nairobi, which will result in claims of vote rigging, protests and violence. Already, the city is simmering with political, and tribal, allegiances. When Mollel and Kiunga are sent to investigate the body of a young woman, found mutilated in a ditch, she is also a Maasai. Initial investigations suggest she is a streetwalker and only Mollel seems interested in finding out who murdered her - justice is hard to come by anywhere, especially in a city facing the uncertainty of volatile elections. Mollel traces the girl's friend and discovers her identity. Before long, he is involved in trying to solve a crime that nobody, including the police force, seems interested in. Along the way he finds links to George Nalo Ministries and the most powerful businessman in Nairobi.
This is a solid start to a series, with a great location and characters. Mollel has an interesting past, plus a good network of supporting characters. The plot has many twists and turns and the author brings the city of Nairobi to life brilliantly. If you like a good mystery, with an exotic location, then this could be for you.
This is a solid start to a series, with a great location and characters. Mollel has an interesting past, plus a good network of supporting characters. The plot has many twists and turns and the author brings the city of Nairobi to life brilliantly. If you like a good mystery, with an exotic location, then this could be for you.
March 12, 2014
This was a really hard book to read - not least because the speech was never marked so the book was pretty much all over the place. I get that this was the authors style and it was pretty brave to approach a first novel in this way but still - it was heavy going. That being said I kept going with it because I wanted to know the outcome, so the book must have hooked me enough for that at least! At times I found the historical aspects fascinating, at other times I found that the general mumble of paragraphs felt like the author was going in and out of a coma from time to time.
I would recommend it - and have already done so, but only to my fellow social policy and criminology students to get a better understanding of the crime situation in Kenya - some fictional but some honest and factual accounts here. Other than that... I wouldn't really suggest this to anyone unless you are a fan of mind muddling, upside down books that tend to drone on for quite a while before the juicy in-depth point is reached.
I would recommend it - and have already done so, but only to my fellow social policy and criminology students to get a better understanding of the crime situation in Kenya - some fictional but some honest and factual accounts here. Other than that... I wouldn't really suggest this to anyone unless you are a fan of mind muddling, upside down books that tend to drone on for quite a while before the juicy in-depth point is reached.
January 20, 2022
Me ha sorprendido y me ha gustado mucho: Está muy bien escrito, la historia es muy interesante, sobre todo la información sobre las costumbres y la mitología masai y la historia tribal de Kenia , la trama es compleja y con giros de guión, aunque el ritmo es un poco lento, la ambientación es muy atrayente por lo curioso y “exótico” ,aunque a veces resulte demasiado larga , tiene un buen desarrollo de los personajes , aunque el protagonista es un poco tópico…En fin casi todo tan bueno como para recomendar este libro y seguir leyendo a este autor.
May 6, 2014
Police procedural/detective novels are ten-a-penny these days, many of them formulaic and rather predictable in terms of character and plot - putting aside the masters of the genre, that is. Fortunately, Richard Crompton's novel sidesteps falling into the usual traps by virtue of the fact it is set in Nairobi, Kenya.
Anybody who has lived in Nairobi for any length of time, as I have, knows that the police force has limited access to modern policing techniques such as advanced forensics, vast computerized databases, and highly trained specialists. Even the guns look so old and rickety you wonder if they would ever fire – which is desirable since they are often casually wafted barrel-first at your head by the officer sitting next to you on a bumpy bus. As a result, Mr. Crompton's book is a back-to-basics detective novel, in which the main protagonist Mollel - a Masai cop whose wife died in the US Embassy bombing - must track the murderer of a prostitute through old-fashioned legwork.
Complicating the investigation is the violence that erupted following disputed 2007 presidential elections, which sees Mollel following his lead through an increasingly chaotic landscape, and being sucked into corruption and political shenanigans in the process. Mollel himself is a fascinating character. While he has the obligatory demons, his are not the hackneyed issues of failed relationships and alcohol. I won't go into any of them to avoid spoilers.
The novel is meticulously plotted, offering up red herrings aplenty along the way and keeping the reader guessing as to the identity of the killer until late into the book - although perhaps the more astute reader of detective fiction will figure it out sooner.
The writing very much leans toward the literary. Not a word is misplaced as Mr. Crompton paints a vivid picture of a capital city in which the thrust of capitalism has created an environment in which sprawling mansions and sparkling malls exist cheek-by-jowl with grinding poverty. Not that he lingers on this poverty: the energy and drive of ordinary Kenyans, an extraordinarily entrepreneurial and forward-looking people, comes through strongly. There is no weepy-eyed Western aid worker perspective here.
While having the aforementioned literary bent, from the opening scene where Mollel dispenses justice to a bag snatcher via a thumping kick to the nuts with steel toe caps to the climactic scene amidst a bloody riot, the story zips along with pace and verve.
This is the first in a series, and it looks likely to be one that keeps bringing readers back for more. The blurb says that Mr. Crompton will do for Nairobi what Ian Rankin did for Edinburgh. He has a long way to go before he pulls off that particular trick, but the early signs are that it is well within his grasp.
Anybody who has lived in Nairobi for any length of time, as I have, knows that the police force has limited access to modern policing techniques such as advanced forensics, vast computerized databases, and highly trained specialists. Even the guns look so old and rickety you wonder if they would ever fire – which is desirable since they are often casually wafted barrel-first at your head by the officer sitting next to you on a bumpy bus. As a result, Mr. Crompton's book is a back-to-basics detective novel, in which the main protagonist Mollel - a Masai cop whose wife died in the US Embassy bombing - must track the murderer of a prostitute through old-fashioned legwork.
Complicating the investigation is the violence that erupted following disputed 2007 presidential elections, which sees Mollel following his lead through an increasingly chaotic landscape, and being sucked into corruption and political shenanigans in the process. Mollel himself is a fascinating character. While he has the obligatory demons, his are not the hackneyed issues of failed relationships and alcohol. I won't go into any of them to avoid spoilers.
The novel is meticulously plotted, offering up red herrings aplenty along the way and keeping the reader guessing as to the identity of the killer until late into the book - although perhaps the more astute reader of detective fiction will figure it out sooner.
The writing very much leans toward the literary. Not a word is misplaced as Mr. Crompton paints a vivid picture of a capital city in which the thrust of capitalism has created an environment in which sprawling mansions and sparkling malls exist cheek-by-jowl with grinding poverty. Not that he lingers on this poverty: the energy and drive of ordinary Kenyans, an extraordinarily entrepreneurial and forward-looking people, comes through strongly. There is no weepy-eyed Western aid worker perspective here.
While having the aforementioned literary bent, from the opening scene where Mollel dispenses justice to a bag snatcher via a thumping kick to the nuts with steel toe caps to the climactic scene amidst a bloody riot, the story zips along with pace and verve.
This is the first in a series, and it looks likely to be one that keeps bringing readers back for more. The blurb says that Mr. Crompton will do for Nairobi what Ian Rankin did for Edinburgh. He has a long way to go before he pulls off that particular trick, but the early signs are that it is well within his grasp.
November 20, 2017
This is an intense book. Set in Nairobi, Kenya, this tells of a detective who has not been active until a thief tries to rob him. Mollel beats him and takes him into the station. There the thief is released so as not to bring up their statistics. However, the chief breaks the thief’s nose when he asks for some compensation. Meanwhile, the medical doctor brings Mollel in to see a female corpse who has been beaten but also genitally mutilated. The chief gives Mollel the case. His assistant is Kiunga, one of the most appealing of the complex characters the reader meets. The two are of different tribes. Mollel is Maasai and Kiunga is Kikuyu, two of the many tribes that populate the story. As Mollel is observant and a fine detective, he has less people skills than Kiunga has, although each has a tragic story to tell about their personal lives. Mollel is a widower with a young son for whom he is supposed to buy a bike. Kiunga helps him with that. The boy is often in the care of his grandmother, Mollel’s mother-in-law. An election is going on and there is a great deal of tension in the city as the opposition believes the vote is rigged, which it is and violence breaks out about this as the two detectives try to solve the mystery. The situation sounds similar to the current election in Kenyas as the different tribes began to fight each other. Having to move cautiously between the various factions, at one point Mollel comments on how helpful individuals are to other individuals even when they are from different tribes, but group on group, they cannot see each other’s humanity and fight violently as part of a group. There is a great deal of politics in the unfolding of the story. Although most of the characters are African, the European Americans in the story are those who are exploiting the country through business and religion. At one point, the facts do not support Mollel’s theory. For a period of time, he follows his theory instead of the facts, but eventually, he faces the facts. Along the way, the reader has a sense of the complexity of the characters and of the country. This is a fine example of how mysteries deal with social realities.
May 24, 2020
Knihu susim doma v kniznici uz peknych par rokov, ale potom ma vzdy odradila obalka.
A zbytocne som sa obavala, kniha bola spicova. Sice zaciatok, mozno takych 20 stran som si vravela, ze och, mala som pravdu...ale ked sa to rozbehlo, uz mi to nedalo spat.
Toto je dalsia kniha, vdaka ktorej som strasne rada, ze zijem tam, kde zijem. Ziadna zenska obriezka, gangy s macetami na uliciach, utek od klanu, lebo sa neviem ztotoznit s krutymi tradiciami.
Z knihy je citit prach a horucavu Afriky. A pritom tam nehladajte ziadne dlhosiahle opisy. Co sa tyka samotnej linie pribehu, fakt som necakala, kto bude vrah a bola som velmi prekvapena, kde sa to dostalo. Tlieskam a srdce mi pisti blahom.
A zbytocne som sa obavala, kniha bola spicova. Sice zaciatok, mozno takych 20 stran som si vravela, ze och, mala som pravdu...ale ked sa to rozbehlo, uz mi to nedalo spat.
Toto je dalsia kniha, vdaka ktorej som strasne rada, ze zijem tam, kde zijem. Ziadna zenska obriezka, gangy s macetami na uliciach, utek od klanu, lebo sa neviem ztotoznit s krutymi tradiciami.
Z knihy je citit prach a horucavu Afriky. A pritom tam nehladajte ziadne dlhosiahle opisy. Co sa tyka samotnej linie pribehu, fakt som necakala, kto bude vrah a bola som velmi prekvapena, kde sa to dostalo. Tlieskam a srdce mi pisti blahom.
January 1, 2014
This book started well, but fell apart towards the end. Partly, this was due to the biggest problem I have with a lot of detective novels: the protagonist is just guessing! At least twice in this novel, he goes to someone and accuses them, only for them to a) tell him he's wrong and b) point him in a better direction. Even if this is more realistic than the Sherlock Holmes figure deducing things first time, with no errors, it's pretty unsatisfying for a reader.
(Here's another example, with minor spoilers: pretty much the entire first season of The Killing shows detectives pulling people in, telling them 'we know you did it', then finding out they didn't do it.)
(Here's another example, with minor spoilers: pretty much the entire first season of The Killing shows detectives pulling people in, telling them 'we know you did it', then finding out they didn't do it.)
February 24, 2018
Ambientato in una Nairobi più divisa e tribale che mai, questo romanzo ha come protagonista un poliziotto di etnia Masai. Un eroe, ma anche un uomo fragile e molto umano, alle prese con l'assassinio di una prostituta e con le rivolte successive al voto nelle elezioni del 2007.
Devo dire che la prima parte mi ha entusiasmata sia per la descrizione della città e degli ambienti, sia per la trama gialla in sé. Nella seconda parte però il ritmo ha rallentato. Pur rimanendo un buon libro, mi fermo a 3*
Devo dire che la prima parte mi ha entusiasmata sia per la descrizione della città e degli ambienti, sia per la trama gialla in sé. Nella seconda parte però il ritmo ha rallentato. Pur rimanendo un buon libro, mi fermo a 3*
September 2, 2017
A well-written police procedural set in Nairobi in the run-up to the 2007 presidential elections and during the subsequent riots. The story takes on the complexity of Kenyan tribal history and loyalties that collide in the urban setting of modern Nairobi. I enjoyed the cast of characters and interesting plot that interweaves legend and modern Evangelical churches that flourishes in Africa.
February 8, 2018
This book was a freebie I picked up a few years back. I didn't really know what it was about, or even the genre, but I was pleasantly suprised. A murder mystery based in Nairobi, which I think made it more interesting than the standard (girl on a train etc) as the aspect of tribal rituals and nuances added another layer. Written well, easy to read and kept me interested throughout. Thoroughly enjoyable for what it is.
August 27, 2020
This is the first book by author Richard Crompton and features a Kenyan police detective, Mollel, who is on the hunt for a killer. Crompton does a good job of setting the scene in a chaotic Kenyan town and Mollel as a Maasai detective is very appealing.
January 13, 2014
I really wanted to love this book. And I did love learning more about Kenya and its people. But the detective is utterly stereotypical: obsessed, grieving, inept at relating to those he loves most, self-harming, with both bright flashes of insight and huge, dark shadows of obliviousness. And eventually the book's central mystery is drowned in the larger chaos that followed the 2007 elections, giving the book a postmodern, even nihilistic feel. When my favorite character was killed because of his appearance, I just got pissed off: tawdry emotional manipulation is one of my least favorite authorial techniques.
I really hope Crompton writes more, because his prose is absolutely beautiful. But I hope it's less nihilistic and less cliched.
I really hope Crompton writes more, because his prose is absolutely beautiful. But I hope it's less nihilistic and less cliched.
June 22, 2013
Better than I was expecting from the first couple chapters. Essentially it's a crime novel set in a background of political corruption and civil unrest. Not something I necessarily would have picked up myself but was a good piece of crime fiction - red herrings, characters that you grow to care about, twists and turns and with it all the very distinct possibility that a lot of these characters that you like and admire might not make it through. Took me perhaps a third of the book to really get into it, but was a fast read once I was hooked into the story. Somewhere between 3.5 and 4 so I've gone with the better rating
January 1, 2014
Mollel is a Maasai policeman living in Nairobi around the time of a political election that leaves the country in unrest. A couple of days before the election a female body is found, with her genital area mutilated. Mollel is asked to investigate the case to see if he can find out what happened to this young woman.
This is one of a few books that I have read set in Africa and I did enjoy this book as it did give an insight into African society - how prostitutes are viewed by the public, how Africans live and the important role tribes play when there is political unrest. This was what I enjoyed the most about this book. The plot was ok, nothing new or amazing to report.
This is one of a few books that I have read set in Africa and I did enjoy this book as it did give an insight into African society - how prostitutes are viewed by the public, how Africans live and the important role tribes play when there is political unrest. This was what I enjoyed the most about this book. The plot was ok, nothing new or amazing to report.
December 19, 2016
The Nairobi setting during the 2007 election and the violent aftermath was used to good effect in this debut featuring a former Maasai warrior turned police detective. I really liked the main character, thought the author did a great job of incorporating Maasai legend into the plot, and found the ending very suspenseful. I did have some trepidation about the author's style (no quotation marks) but once I started had no trouble with the narrative flow.
September 6, 2017
Interesting as much for the cultural exploration of Nairobi at a politically volatile time as it is for its mystery, Hour of the Red God is a solid debut and a compelling introduction to a difficult series character. A few too many of the twists came from the lies spun by suspects being unwoven rather than new evidence and complications to the mystery, and the conclusion relied heavily on some long expository dialogue, but these flaws are not enough to undo the book.
September 4, 2017
A well written thriller set in Nairobi in 2007 in the midst of a tumultuous election. The author ties the larger political climate in to the central story very nicely. The description of Nairobi is also spare yet illuminating. Overall, an excellent debut novel. Can't wait to read more of the exploits of Inspector Mollel!
November 11, 2013
Very original police procedural, nicely constructed, great tying together of politics with the thriller elements, but despite the five stars there was something unsettling about the narrator's point of view as a former Masai warrior.
October 19, 2014
Police procedural set in Nairobi. The main character was so stoic that I had a bit of trouble warming up to him. Both the complex mystery and additional characters made this a stronger story that I first thought. I turned out to like the detective a lot too. Very good.
March 6, 2013
A well-paced, enthralling introduction to Mollel: I couldn't put it down. Looking forward to another instalment: this is a great first novel by Crompton.
August 13, 2013
Loved this mystery, can't wait for the second one to come out.
March 27, 2023
"Justice is a luxury. Peace is a necessity."
I've only read a few detective novels so far but every time I do, it always put me on the edge of my seat. And this one hits the sweet spot and more.
There is so much to unpack in this novel. Who would've thought that unravelling the mystery surrounding the murder case would actually lead to bigger and more controversial issues along the way? How this case would be interconnected with big crazy religious shenanigans and the political turmoil prevailing at that time.
The novel starts out as pretty mediocre but it has a certain charm that will draw you in. It doesn't fall flat as you progress through the story and has crazy plot twists as you get closer to the end. It has a very gripping story that I have to reel myself back to reread some parts (though sometimes I have to as some thoughts flew over my head). It was surprisingly quick to read and the pacing is all good. There are full of 'ooh' and 'ahh' moments as the pieces of mystery are coming altogether. I love how I always speculate what will happen next and tries to pin down who has done it - it's like watching it from my mind. Of course, let's not forget how fleshed-out the characters are and how we are given a glimpse of their culture, tradition, and mythology - it's a plus for me as I love learning more about people's way of living.
And this is more than just a detective novel, as it also mirrors the issues of tribalism, racism, sexism, and inequality. It is sad to think how the law seems to always favour the rich and the powerful. How injustice breeds contempt. These injustices that we constantly experience are the reason why most people resort to putting the order in their own hands. It's because the very system that oughts to protect them is actually the one that desecrates them. The setting of the story happens during the 2007 Kenyan political crisis but somehow it feels like it just happened this year. And don't get me started with the election rigging. Damn how it's prevalent up to this day. Furthermore, it also presents how far our moral compass should go (or bend) - as to what is considered black or white in a sea of grey areas.
One more thing I liked to point out is the religious organisation involved in this story. It's an imaginative religious group but damn what a religion could do. How it preys on the weak and the gullible and thrives on it. What may or may not happen behind closed doors and the ulterior motives behind these religious leaders. it may be a very sensitive topic but it has to be said as it also happens in real life.
I am having a field day sharing my thoughts about this book really. But as I said, there is a lot to unpack here - and I mean like A LOT.
I've only read a few detective novels so far but every time I do, it always put me on the edge of my seat. And this one hits the sweet spot and more.
There is so much to unpack in this novel. Who would've thought that unravelling the mystery surrounding the murder case would actually lead to bigger and more controversial issues along the way? How this case would be interconnected with big crazy religious shenanigans and the political turmoil prevailing at that time.
The novel starts out as pretty mediocre but it has a certain charm that will draw you in. It doesn't fall flat as you progress through the story and has crazy plot twists as you get closer to the end. It has a very gripping story that I have to reel myself back to reread some parts (though sometimes I have to as some thoughts flew over my head). It was surprisingly quick to read and the pacing is all good. There are full of 'ooh' and 'ahh' moments as the pieces of mystery are coming altogether. I love how I always speculate what will happen next and tries to pin down who has done it - it's like watching it from my mind. Of course, let's not forget how fleshed-out the characters are and how we are given a glimpse of their culture, tradition, and mythology - it's a plus for me as I love learning more about people's way of living.
And this is more than just a detective novel, as it also mirrors the issues of tribalism, racism, sexism, and inequality. It is sad to think how the law seems to always favour the rich and the powerful. How injustice breeds contempt. These injustices that we constantly experience are the reason why most people resort to putting the order in their own hands. It's because the very system that oughts to protect them is actually the one that desecrates them. The setting of the story happens during the 2007 Kenyan political crisis but somehow it feels like it just happened this year. And don't get me started with the election rigging. Damn how it's prevalent up to this day. Furthermore, it also presents how far our moral compass should go (or bend) - as to what is considered black or white in a sea of grey areas.
One more thing I liked to point out is the religious organisation involved in this story. It's an imaginative religious group but damn what a religion could do. How it preys on the weak and the gullible and thrives on it. What may or may not happen behind closed doors and the ulterior motives behind these religious leaders. it may be a very sensitive topic but it has to be said as it also happens in real life.
I am having a field day sharing my thoughts about this book really. But as I said, there is a lot to unpack here - and I mean like A LOT.
March 15, 2023
Le polar idéal en pleine découverte du Kenya : "The Honey Guide" de Richard Crompton 📚
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📑 Le 22 décembre 2007, Mollel, un détective Maasaï mal en point et sur la touche depuis le décès de sa femme dans l'attentat de l'ambassade américaine à Nairobi de 1998, est re-mobilisé par le poste de police central de Nairobi pour élucider une affaire de meurtre. En effet, le cadavre d'une jeune prostituée Maasaï a été découvert dans Uhuru Park, et les mutilations génitales qu'elle a subies laissent d'abord penser à un crime d'honneur intraethnique. L'enquête de Mollel et Kiunga - son jeune adjoint Kikuyu - va pourtant les entraîner sur d'autres terrains glissants : ceux des télévangélistes tout-puissants, de l'élite politico-économique kenyane corrompue, de la branche paramilitaire particulièrement violente de la police kenyane (la GSU) et des opportunistes britanniques sans foi ni loi. Le tout sur fond de tensions interethniques auxquelles donna lieu l'élection présidentielle irrégulière du 27 décembre 2007...
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💭 Cela faisait des lustres que je n'avais pas lu de polar, et j'ai adoré celui-ci. Le correspondant de la BBC au Kenya qui l'a écrit en 2013 a fait un super boulot. L'intrigue est haletante, pleine de rebondissements et bien déroulée/ficelée, de sorte que presque jusqu'à la fin, je ne savais pas plus que Mollel et Kiunga qui était le meurtrier. Les descriptions de Nairobi et des comportements des protagonistes paraissent justes et réalistes. On est loin d'une histoire de super détectives. Mollel a ses failles et commet des erreurs et des bêtises. Enfin, on apprend mine de rien pas mal de choses sur le Kenya, à coup de petites références intéressantes à son actualité, à son histoire ou à sa culture. Mon vocabulaire swahili s'est en outre enrichi de nouveaux mots, tels que 'panga', 'poko', 'boda-boda'... et j'ai appris ce qu'était un 'honey guide'. Je recommande cette lecture à ceux qui aiment les polars !
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📑 Le 22 décembre 2007, Mollel, un détective Maasaï mal en point et sur la touche depuis le décès de sa femme dans l'attentat de l'ambassade américaine à Nairobi de 1998, est re-mobilisé par le poste de police central de Nairobi pour élucider une affaire de meurtre. En effet, le cadavre d'une jeune prostituée Maasaï a été découvert dans Uhuru Park, et les mutilations génitales qu'elle a subies laissent d'abord penser à un crime d'honneur intraethnique. L'enquête de Mollel et Kiunga - son jeune adjoint Kikuyu - va pourtant les entraîner sur d'autres terrains glissants : ceux des télévangélistes tout-puissants, de l'élite politico-économique kenyane corrompue, de la branche paramilitaire particulièrement violente de la police kenyane (la GSU) et des opportunistes britanniques sans foi ni loi. Le tout sur fond de tensions interethniques auxquelles donna lieu l'élection présidentielle irrégulière du 27 décembre 2007...
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💭 Cela faisait des lustres que je n'avais pas lu de polar, et j'ai adoré celui-ci. Le correspondant de la BBC au Kenya qui l'a écrit en 2013 a fait un super boulot. L'intrigue est haletante, pleine de rebondissements et bien déroulée/ficelée, de sorte que presque jusqu'à la fin, je ne savais pas plus que Mollel et Kiunga qui était le meurtrier. Les descriptions de Nairobi et des comportements des protagonistes paraissent justes et réalistes. On est loin d'une histoire de super détectives. Mollel a ses failles et commet des erreurs et des bêtises. Enfin, on apprend mine de rien pas mal de choses sur le Kenya, à coup de petites références intéressantes à son actualité, à son histoire ou à sa culture. Mon vocabulaire swahili s'est en outre enrichi de nouveaux mots, tels que 'panga', 'poko', 'boda-boda'... et j'ai appris ce qu'était un 'honey guide'. Je recommande cette lecture à ceux qui aiment les polars !
January 30, 2026
Detective Mollel is the typical depressed, workaholic noir detective with a messed-up family life. His wife died nearly a decade ago in a US embassy bombing and Detective Mollel is so focused on work that he barely remembers he has a child – his mother-in-law (Faith) is the primary caretaker and now wants full custody. Which, frankly, makes sense because Detective Mollel seems to forget for long stretches of time that his son Adam exists; he leaves him at a bike shop for hours while chasing a purse-snatcher; he shows up only briefly for Christmas and steals his son’s soccer ball (a Christmas present!) to use on a case. Father of the Year, he is not. And Faith is happy to have Mollel see Adam just as often as he does now (which is rarely). She just wants to be his legal guardian.
Mollel is driven, I think partly out of depression from his wife’s death, but partly just because of who he is. He has to see things through – even if he is no longer officially on the case; even if it will ruin his career. He can’t give things up. Setting this during Kenya’s violent 2007 elections adds an electric air of tension and danger – and the search for a murderer is threatened by getting caught up in the explosion of riots when the vote-rigging begins. There’s corruption everywhere, and Mollel has to do the best he can with the broken system he has.
Not knowing much about modern Kenya, I don’t know how authentic Crompton’s setting is. But it feels vibrant and whole and realistic and utterly fascinating. Crompton is a talented writer and keeps the story flowing while breathing wholly into life the characters and the setting.
Mollel is driven, I think partly out of depression from his wife’s death, but partly just because of who he is. He has to see things through – even if he is no longer officially on the case; even if it will ruin his career. He can’t give things up. Setting this during Kenya’s violent 2007 elections adds an electric air of tension and danger – and the search for a murderer is threatened by getting caught up in the explosion of riots when the vote-rigging begins. There’s corruption everywhere, and Mollel has to do the best he can with the broken system he has.
Not knowing much about modern Kenya, I don’t know how authentic Crompton’s setting is. But it feels vibrant and whole and realistic and utterly fascinating. Crompton is a talented writer and keeps the story flowing while breathing wholly into life the characters and the setting.
February 22, 2025
Mollel is a Massai and is a policeman working in Nairobi, not that he is very welcome. It's more of a case of tolerated because of his notoriety following the bombing of the US embassy. He's honest and believes in justice but in a police force where they are very short on these commodities, he's not popular.
When a Massai woman is found dead in a drain in a central Nairobi park Mollel is assigned the task of investigating for no other reason then someone had to do it and it got him out of everyone's hair. The problem for everyone is that it's just before Christmas, not that that is a big think in Kenya, and there is an election to be held just two days later. Violence is anticipated, expected and planned for. Against this background the investigation is being held. It's not a high tech investigation which seem to be rare in Kenya.
This is a disjointed sort of read. There seems to be a lot of assumptions made without backing logic all to create red herrings. Unfortunately it takes away from a good read.
Then there is the elephant in the room. The weird, strange and absurd way in which dialogue is formatted. It's so distracting and I just don't understand why it was done this way.
Overall it wasn't an enjoyable read.
When a Massai woman is found dead in a drain in a central Nairobi park Mollel is assigned the task of investigating for no other reason then someone had to do it and it got him out of everyone's hair. The problem for everyone is that it's just before Christmas, not that that is a big think in Kenya, and there is an election to be held just two days later. Violence is anticipated, expected and planned for. Against this background the investigation is being held. It's not a high tech investigation which seem to be rare in Kenya.
This is a disjointed sort of read. There seems to be a lot of assumptions made without backing logic all to create red herrings. Unfortunately it takes away from a good read.
Then there is the elephant in the room. The weird, strange and absurd way in which dialogue is formatted. It's so distracting and I just don't understand why it was done this way.
Overall it wasn't an enjoyable read.
August 24, 2018
A través del personaje de Masai Mollel, sus compañeros de comisaría y el ambiente de los barrios de Nairobi, Crompton nos guía por el laberinto étnico de Kenia: kikuyos, lúos, masais... muy instructivo y entretenido el mosaico que nos va mostrando el autor, sin buenismos ni culpabilidades. El protagonista es masai, un masai que ha abandonado sus costumbres ancestrales, pero en cierta medida no consigue verlas como algo realmente extraño o repulsivo (y algunas lo son, ciertamente). Me ha gustado mucho esa combinación de ambiente urbano con recuerdos de la aldea tribal. La parte policial no me ha interesado tanto, aunque no está mal, pero el componente de novela negra, de muestra de la sociedad, de las tensiones que se generan en ella, me ha parecido excelente. Recomendable.
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